Bitter Melon Extract may Provide Treatment of Head and Neck Cancers

The American Society of Clinical Oncology notes that head and neck cancers account for approximately 3 to 5 percent of all cancers in the United States. This year alone, it's estimated that 53,640 people will develop head and neck cancers-with an overwhelming majority of men affected by the health issue.

However, a recent study looks at extract from an Asian vegetable could provide therapeutic qualities to help treat head and neck cancers.  

According to researchers from Saint Louis University, they found that bitter melon extract, a vegetable that's commonly used in both Indian and Chinese cuisine, could potentially reduce cancerous growths found in head and neck tissues via an animal model of the study.

"We wanted to see the effect of the bitter melon extract treatment on different types of cancer using different model systems," Ranta Ray, Ph.D., associate professor of pathology at Saint Louis University said, via a press release. "In this study, the bitter melon extract treatment suppressed the head and neck cancer cell growth in the mouse model, reducing the growth of the tumor."

Background information from the study notes that this tropical fruit is often used for Indian and Chinese cooking. Very commonly, it is also used in vegetables for stir fries, salads and even drinks of many healthy Asian diets.

However, researchers note that more studies will need to be completed in order to determine whether the melon extract could be used as a treatment option.

"It's difficult to measure the exact impact of bitter melon extract treatment on the cell growth, but a combination of things-existing drug therapy along with bitter melon-may help the efficacy of the overall cancer treatment," Ray said.

More information regarding the study can be found via the Public Library of Science.